Crews from across the Island ensured cover was available
The Island's chief fire officer says it is still too early to say what caused the blaze at Castletown and Malew fire station, but insists local fire cover remains fully in place.
Mark Christian said the fire, which broke out in the appliance room housing the vehicles, left one rescue appliance ‘severely damaged beyond repair’ and a second awaiting full assessment.
Mr Christian said investigators were working to establish how the blaze, which began in the appliance room, was started.
The station building, shared with the Isle of Man Ambulance Service, was occupied at the time, but only minor injuries were reported for heat stress issues.
Despite the damage, Mr Christian praised staff who responded to the fire.
He said: "I think firstly I'd just like to thank the local crew at Castletown and Malew. One of our colleagues happened to be on station, it's normally an unstaffed station for us, it's an on-call station and they raised the alarm very early doors as soon as it became apparent that there was a fire in the in the engine house.
"Some of the actions from that individual was absolutely tremendous to recover some PPE out to out of the locker room, etc. Some real quick thinking actions and then colleagues from Castletown obviously responded. Although they had no appliances, there was some sterling effort made in the first few minutes of the incident."
Mr Christian also praised the wider fire service as crews from Douglas and Rushen provided assistance at the fire alongside the Airport Fire and Rescue Service, with firefighters from Peel being on hand to cover Rushen while Laxey supported Douglas' fire station.
The station’s sprinkler system activated and is said to have played a 'significant role' in containing the fire and preventing it from spreading more extensively through the building.
While the station is back running from a temporary set up, he said it was ‘too early' to say how long it will be before the station is back to normal or what the final bill will be.
The Isle of Man Ambulance Service has established a temporary station at Castletown Coastguard Station to ensure its cover for the south of the Island can continue.
In a statement on Friday evening, the Isle of Man Government says: "Attention is now focused on determining the full extent of the damage to the building and its contents, while loss adjusters have been appointed to assess the damage for insurance purposes.
"The administration section of the station suffered significant smoke and water damage. At this stage it is too early to determine when the station may be able to resume normal operations.
"The cause of the fire has not yet been identified and remains under active investigation.
"Separately, officers from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture are investigating reports that firefighting foam entered the watercourse during the incident.
"It is suspected this may have resulted in the death of a number of fish in the River Silverburn near Poulsom Park. People are being advised not to swim in the river for the next 28 days."
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